VIDEO: SF State student director revamps Greek classic, 'Eurydice'

VIDEO: SF State student director revamps Greek classic, 'Eurydice'

SF State students perform a modern rendition of the Greek play Eurydice directed by Ben Calabrese. The cast went through their first practice in the Studio Theatre in the Creative Arts Building on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Photo by Andy Sweet / Xpress

Ben Calabrese is captivated by the action unfolding on stage; two star-crossed lovers, one on a table and the other on a chair, lean in for a passionate kiss when suddenly the table slips out from underneath. And so goes the unexpected nature of a show’s rehearsal and its focused director, who observes and takes note of it all.

The story is a modern retelling of the classic Greek myth as written by French playwright Jean Anouilh, and set in the 1930s. It tells the story of a musician named Orpheus (Caldwell) and an actress named Eurydice (Carroll) who meet at a train station, instantly fall in love and the depths they go to for everlasting love.

In the original myth, it is love that takes Orpheus to the underworld in order to bring Eurydice back to earth after she had been fatally bitten by a snake. The catch is he should walk in front of her and never look back until they reach earth or else she would die again and be gone forever.

In Anouilh’s version, a car crash claims Eurydice’s life, but the challenge remains. Orpheus must wait beside her spirit in the train station until sunrise and not look her in the face. With the stakes set high, Anouilh’s skeptic love story rolls into motion.

“Anouilh sort of had this vision to criticize the idea of love at first sight,” Calabrese, 21, senior and the show’s director, said. “I think ‘Eurydice’ will tell us that love isn’t as clean and simple as fairytales.”

To further convey Anouilh’s vision, he casted two extra actors Caleb Cabrera and Grace Ng, who mirror the narrative of the modern day Orpheus and Eurydice and represent the pair from the original Greek tale.

Regardless of the play’s bittersweet themes and sometimes bleak tone, Calabrese hopes that the epic love story will resonate with the audience and that they will dare to accept love in all its imperfections.

“I think love can be messy at times,” Calabrese said. “(But) it’s no less good. It’s no less powerful. It’s no less important. Embracing the messiness is what I hope to get people to do.”

“Eurydice” is funded by the Players’ Club — SF State’s theatre arts student organization. Every fall, they select one production for the spring season out of a series of interviews and proposals from students all vying for the opportunity to direct their own show.

“We decided to go with this show because it was inspiring, uplifting and moving all at the same time,” Gabby Battista, 21-year-old president of the Players’ Club, said. “We had a general consensus where we wanted everyone to believe in true love,” she said.

“The school’s really given us the opportunity to use this space and really showcase all the things we’ve learned here,” Calabrese said. “It’s great that we have the creative freedom to express ourselves in that way.”

As excited as he is for the festival, Calabrese’s main focus is “Eurydice,” and his expressions ranged from head nods to smiles during the run-through.

“As a director, I think the toughest job has been making sure that everybody’s ideas are coming forward,” Calabrese said. “That’s 30 minds and you’re working with so many talented people. That’s been the most challenging and the most rewarding.”

The cast and crew are equally passionate, as they too believe in the story’s vision.

“I want people to look at this relationship and maybe examine their own,” Carroll said.

With a love story encompassed in themes of death and disappointment, Caldwell advises audience members that this is not a show for the fainthearted.

“If you’re depressed, don’t come see it ‘cause you might not make it out,” Caldwell jokingly said. “I hope audiences just let the show wash over them.”